The teaching profession, once regarded as a noble profession in Nigeria, is increasingly losing appeal to young people, sparking concerns for the future of the country’s already struggling education sector.
Experts say many young Nigerians no longer see an exciting career in education, and blamed a combination of factors including poor work conditions and remuneration amid current economic challenges, changing value system, and government neglect for that important sector, among others.
Data from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) shows that in 2020, about 95,317 candidates applied to study education-related courses. By 2021, this number had plummeted by nearly 44 perent to 53,612. While 2023 saw an increase to 114,751 candidates, the trend reversed again in 2024, with applications dropping by 36% to 73,346.
JAMB’s data also showed a decline in the number of students admitted to education-related courses at three-year intervals. In 2017, 84,201 students were admitted to study education-related courses, which decreased by 3.96% to 80,857 in 2020. By 2023, admissions fell further by another 6.08% to 75,937.
During the commemoration of the 2024 world teachers day, Audu Amba, president, National Union of Teachers (NUT) lamented an alarming manpower crisis in schools, noting it as a potential crisis for the nation’s education system, which contributes to ‘learning poverty’, especially in rural areas.
Read also: How Nigeria’s 18.3m out-of-school children cripple economy
A 2024 survey by the Universal Basic Education Commission UBEC found out a shortage of 194,876 teachers in public primary schools across the country.
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) also disclosed that over 30% of Nigeria’s teaching workforce left the service within the past three years.
Hamid Bobboyi, the Executive Secretary of UBEC, described the situation as frightening. He stated that some teachers retired while others left the service in search of greener pastures without being replaced.
Bobboyi said, “Nationwide, in the last three years, particularly beginning with COVID-19, we have lost over 30% of our teaching workforce. And it is very frightening. Many of them retired, while some left the service without being replaced.”
BusinessDay checks also showed that many teachers are not trained for the job, but have joined the profession as a fallback option just erk out a living rather than a career of choice.
Read also: Govt must prioritise investment in Nigeria’s education system, says Rhodes-Vivour
Why Teaching No Longer Appeals to Many
The low appeal for teaching is said to be largely driven by poor welfare packages, limited career advancement opportunities for those already in the profession, challenging working conditions, and a lack of support and resources.
Janet Nyalla, an Abuja-based teacher believes that low salaries, lack of prestige, and societal misconceptions contribute to declining of interest in teaching among young Nigerians, emphasizing the need to reshape the profession’s image to attract new talent.
“Nobody wants to do a job that won’t allow them to meet their basic needs. The pay gap between teaching and sectors like medicine and banking is evident.
“There’s also a lack of prestige associated with the teaching profession, and the stigma contrasts sharply with how other professions are perceived.
“It’s almost like we need to be something else before we can be considered people of influence. Nobody just wakes up one morning and says, ‘I want to become a teacher when I grow up.’
“If we continue to see teaching as a less desirable profession, we will keep getting the same results. We need to start presenting teaching as a noble and essential profession.”
Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, the Executive Director of CISLAC, argued that the devaluation of education in Nigeria has led to the association of teaching with poverty and low status, causing qualified individuals to leave the profession while unqualified individuals join as a last resort.
“They have made education and teaching in Nigeria associated with poverty and undignified status. There is no motivation, and as a result, we are not having the kind of knowledge and skills required for people who are supposed to be educated.
“Until we are able to dignify teaching, people will continue to run away from it. And of course, we need teachers because the foundation of the nation is education, and education is about quality teaching and skills. If we don’t have that, it will be difficult to make the necessary progress.
“In other parts of the world, teachers are actually leading in science, technology, and even providing political and economic policy frameworks for governance. In Nigeria, however, they have been marginalized and disempowered.
“In a situation where a professor with 30 years of experience earns less than 600,000, while someone with a school certificate, simply because he’s a politician, earns millions, there is a disempowerment of teaching and its incentives in Nigeria.”
After years of agitation, President Buhari in 2020 announced an improved salary structure for teachers and also raised their years of service from 35 to 40.
However, those promises of improved welfare are yet to be seen, four years after.
Audu Amba, the NUT President said he was disappointed by the failure to implement welfare packages for teachers that former President Muhammadu Buhari announced during the 2020 World Teachers’ Day.
“It is worrisome to observe that four years after, most of the approvals have remained unimplemented. We hereby call on both federal and state governments to ensure full implementation of the approved incentives in order to boost the morale of teachers in the discharge of their professional duties.”
Chiamaka Obi, a graduate of Physics Education from the University of Abuja who is now an events planner, echoed these sentiments.
She pointed out the limited financial rewards of teaching as a major reason for her career choice, despite her major in education. She highlighted the demanding nature of the profession and its limited financial rewards.
“In university, if someone told me they were studying education, I automatically viewed their chosen profession as inferior, even though I was studying the same thing.
“I didn’t go into teaching after school because I can’t deal with the various needs of students; I simply don’t have the patience, and it’s less lucrative compared to the workload.”
The Ripple Effect on Nigeria’s Education System
Those who spoke to BusinessDay said the diminishing interest in teaching among younger Nigerians, does not only reduce the quality of educators but also poses a potential crisis for the nation’s education system.
Rafsanjani, earlier quoted, noted this trend results in a decline in the quality of education, producing uneducated individuals and stunting innovation and progress in critical fields like science and technology.
“The consequence is the poor quality and irresponsible education, and the evidence in Nigeria is what we are seeing now.
“We are producing uneducated people from the schools, and that affects innovation in terms of science, technology, and other areas that are supposed to make a nation proud.”
Janet Nyalla also agrees that low-quality teachers negatively impact student outcomes and the attractiveness of the profession, ultimately affecting societal standards and producing poorly trained graduates who cannot compete globally.
“We think the trend is not dangerous, but it is very, very dangerous. Just as in the medical field, we have codes of conduct that are supposed to guide professionals; similarly, in the educational sector, there are standards teachers are supposed to uphold.
“But because teachers do not adhere to these standards, it affects the quality of the individuals they produce.
“If the whole system looks shabby, nobody wants to go there. But if you sit close to professional teachers, you’d want to be like them because they conduct themselves professionally.
“They know what they are supposed to do, how to dress, and how to behave. This makes the profession attractive, but low-quality teachers have the opposite effect.
“The entire society becomes a recipient of this decline. If we continue to have low-quality teachers, the impact is felt across all fields and professions. Everyone suffers from the lack of properly trained individuals.”
Stakeholders push to reverse the trend
According to Azikiwe Peter Onwualu, former acting president of the African University of Science and Technology, Abuja, Nigeria’s education sector needs a complete overhaul.
In an exclusive interview, Onwualu called fora state of emergency in the sector and stressed that Nigeria needs to first of all understand why the youth do not take pride in teaching.
He noted for instance, that the average salary of a Nigerian teacher is poor, compared to those in other countries.
“Teachers are respected everywhere. In some countries, like Finland, teachers are well-paid and respected, so people aspire to be teachers. In some countries, the highest-paid profession is teaching. So, for me, it’s about earning power,” he said.
The professor stressed that the government must review teachers’ remuneration so that the profession can become more attractive.
Addressing the concerns, Yusuf Sununu, Minister of State for Education, recently, assured of government’s support towards teachers empowerment and training in technological skills.
“The Federal Ministry of Education is fully committed to ensuring that our teachers are empowered and equipped for the task ahead.
“We are working diligently to improve teacher training, professional development, and working conditions across the country,” he assured.
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